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Changing of the Guard By Maddie Valasek "Julian, you better get moving. You don't want to be late on your first day," Mom yelled out to me. "I'm just about ready," I answered as I finished tying my shoes. "What time is it anyway?" I asked. My alarm clock was still packed away in the moving truck that wouldn't make it to our new house until sometime that afternoon. "7:00, sweetheart. Classes start at 8:00. Remember, you have to stop by the office and give them you transcript and pick up your schedule." "I remember," I replied as I walked into the kitchen. "You worry too much, ya know." "It's my job, I'm a Mom. I'm pretty sure it's written into my contract somewhere. I went out and got some donuts and juice this morning. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some real shopping done this afternoon if the moving truck gets here early enough." "You should renegotiate your contract. That's a lot of extra work that you don't really need to do. Don't worry about shopping today. We can just order pizza while we're getting things sorted out. I'll help with the shopping tomorrow after school. That is unless you're worried about my nutritional intake. That's just about the only thing you have to worry about with me," I joked. "Sorry, Kiddo, I got into the habit with your sister. Once you start, you really can't break a habit like that." "With her, you needed to worry." My older sister Brandy had been what people call a problem child. She was four years older than me and a hell of a lot less responsible. She seemed to go out of her way to get into trouble. She had run off with her loser boyfriend a year ago. She would occasionally call to let us know she was still alive. I always felt better after she called. Just knowing she was still OK helped. Mom would be unusually quiet for the next few days after her call but she seemed to be doing better. Dad was still mad at her for running off. "That's true, but she never would listen to anything your Dad and I had to say anyway. Speaking of which, he'll be home tomorrow night. He actually managed to get the whole week off to help us get moved in," Mom agreed. "Wow, a whole week. Who'd he have to kill to swing that?" I asked. Dad's job kept him traveling a lot. It seems that he was the only guy who knew how to fix the problems with the companies automation systems. He wasn't the only guy, of course, just the best. He could get jobs sorted out twice as quickly as the next guy. He said that it wasn't the hardware system itself that was broken, it was having to write new software for it due to all the custom applications. That ability made him a valuable asset but it was his customer service that really set him apart from the other guys. He could walk into a building with a customer screaming blue bloodied murder about how terrible his company was and walk out with all the bugs worked out and an order from the customer to upgrade their next five facilities. He used to have a small area that he worked in. Most of the time he'd be home by five and the long jobs might keep him until seven. They were usually very easy jobs that lacked any real challenge, as he would say, but he wanted to be close to home to be with his family. Recently he accepted an offer to expand his area, which would allow him to work on bigger more challenging jobs. He really loved it when he found a solution to a problem no one else could fix. He'd been putting that off for a while. Mom and I just about had to force him to take the new job. I was old enough that I didn't need him to be around every day and Mom was getting tired of hearing him complain about how bored he was. The only drawback was that we had to relocate. It was tough on Mom to move away from her friends. She was a social being by nature. There was always a party or get together she and Dad would attend. There was also the occasion company picnic or Christmas party, too. I had managed to avoid going to any of those for the last few years. It just seemed weird to be spending your spare time at work talking about work and not getting paid for what was essentially work. I wasn't especially comfortable being around a lot of new people either. For as social as my parents were, I seemed to have gotten that double recessive awkward shy gene. Anyway, Dad had come out here to Skyview a few months ago to start working and to look for a new place for us. Mom and I would fly out after Dad had rounded up about a dozen possibilities. It took Dad about three tries before he found something Mom was satisfied with. I think it would have been easier on him just to let her do the shopping. He really is enjoying his new job. I can't remember him ever being so excited to go to work. He's quickly earned a good reputation and demand for him grew. Now he spends three or four days a week traveling sometimes as much as a week. Mom and I miss him when he's gone but that just makes the times we do get to see each other that much better. Ok, that last bit was a little too saccharine but "He didn't say anything about killing anyone but, he did say something about taking a hostage," Mom grinned. "You want a ride to school?" "No, I think I'll walk. It's not too far and I'd like to get some shots of the area." "You and that camera. Are you sure we don't need to have it surgically removed from your eye?" "No surgery necessary. You're lucky it's digital. Just think of how much film and processing would cost you," I returned. "Cost me? I just supply the camera. Everything else is up to you, remember." The camera was a gift for my last birthday. I'd been carrying on about how much I'd like to have one for months. Mom thought I'd get tired of it after a few weeks and didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I wouldn't use. I had a habit of getting into something very intensely at first but then quickly burning myself out. Dad convinced her that it might be something I would enjoy over the long term. They were looking at some mid priced SLR's when mom found my digital. The salesman managed to convince them that the added price was worth not having to buy film and pay for processing. "Oh yeah, it's lucky for me, then." "Before you take off, this is for you," she said tossing me a small rectangle of plastic. "A cell phone? Mom, you know I don't like these things," I whined, "The only people I talk to are you, Dad, Brandy, and Jeff. I can take all those calls at home." Jeff was my best and only friend. We used to spend all our time together. Our moms told us we were more like brothers than friends. I'd only been gone a week and I already missed him. "You may not want one but I would like to be able to get a hold of you when you're out documenting the countryside. You're not always the easiest person to find." "I guess I can carry it around then. Just don't expect me to answer on the first ring," I grumped jokingly. "Easy, there, Grandpa, I know these new fangled gadgets cramp your style but, who knows, maybe you'll loosen up and make some friends that will want to talk to you all the time. Maybe even a girlfriend. Wouldn't that be new," she teased. "Boy, you sure know where to hit a guy. That'll leave a mark," I replied. "Go on and get out of here. I'll see you after school." "Ok, Mom. I love you," I called over my shoulder as I walked out of the house. My mom's comments had stung a little more than I had let on. I know she doesn't mean to hurt my feelings or anything. The whole friends thing is a sore subject with me. It's not that I don't like people or anything. I just get so tongue tied when I meet someone new. My brain gets all frazzled and short circuits. I'm a little better with girls than guys. I don't know why. It's just easier for me to talk to them. Usually I'm really quiet until I get to know someone. It's not the best method for making friends. She was right. Maybe I would meet some people and make a friend or two. I was making a new start and I didn't have the reputation of being cold and distant freak here. I felt a little better thinking of the possibilities that lay ahead of me. I caught sight of a lizard sunning itself on a rock. The lighting was great so I pulled out my camera and took a few shots. The little lizard was a great model. I even got a picture of him looking right at me. It was if he wanted to make sure I got a good shot of him. I thanked him for his time and continued on my way. I snapped a few more pics of various other things on the way to school. I was really trying to check out my new surroundings and see what was near my house. I passed plenty of gas stations and beauty salons. There were a few offices and a small grocery store. The one thing that got my attention was a camera store with a now hiring sign in the window. I wanted to get a job as quickly as I could so I could replace my old truck. Dad and I decided that it would be a lot easier to sell it and buy something new here than trying to move my old one. It was a decent little truck but I didn't really like the rough ride or lack of interior room. I was hoping to make some money and get something a little newer and more comfortable. I made a mental note to check into the store after school. I arrived at school with plenty of time to spare. It took me a few minutes to find the office. The school building itself was an interesting structure. Thanks to extremely rapid growth, schools were forced to expand by adding portable buildings to keep up with the ever-growing population. Skyview High was apparently experiencing it's own growing pains. There were more portable buildings than permanent structures. Unfortunately, all those additions made for a maze like arrangement of identical looking walkways and alleys. I was wondering if I shouldn't be dropping breadcrumbs or something. I asked three different students before I got clear enough directions to the office. The office staff was friendly and efficient. They had all my paperwork sorted out and my schedule completed after only a few minutes. I somehow managed to have a coherent conversation with one of the student aides. Her name was Heather and she was a sophomore like me. She started telling me a little about some of my teachers. "Most of the teachers here are pretty good. You'll have to watch out for Mrs. Danbury. She's the advanced algebra and pre-calculus teacher. She really doesn't do much teaching. She'll pretty much just give you some work out of the text book and spend the rest of class looking busy," she said. "Oh joy," I replied sarcastically, "At least I'm not taking pre-cal. I guess I can't avoid the algebra though." "Not if you want that advanced diploma." "Anyone else I need to worry about?" "No, but Coach West is great. He's the chemistry and physics teacher. He's always coming up with some crazy experiment to show us. Last semester he laid on a bed of nails and had some of his students break cinderblocks on his chest." "That should keep things interesting," I commented. "OK, you should be all set, Julian, we have block scheduling here. That just means you have four classes one day then three the next with a free period. It just keeps rotating like that," she said handing me my schedule, "It is Julian right?" "Everyone usually just calls me Jules." "All right then. I guess I'll be seeing you around, Jules." "Thanks, Heather, It was nice meeting you." I said as I left the office. My first class was going to be journalism. I was hoping to work on the school newspaper or yearbook. I had been able to talk with the instructor, Mr. Cooper, on our last trip out when Mom had decided she liked the house. She wanted to take a look at the school and make sure it was a relatively safe place. I wanted to get a look around myself so I tagged along. I had been looking around the newspaper staff room when I met him. He thought I was a student trying to cut class and wasn't exactly friendly. After I explained to him why I was there he softened a bit we started talking about photography. He said he wasn't really enthused about his current photographer and wanted to see some of my stuff. I agreed to bring some by if Mom actually settled on the house and I became an actual student. Class had started by the time I found my way back to the classroom. I got the obligatory stare at the new guy thing from everyone as I walked in the door. If that doesn't make you self-conscious, nothing will. "Hello, Jules. I see your Mom decided on that house. Glad to have you here with us," Mr. Cooper welcomed me. "Just find a seat anywhere you want." I picked the nearest seat and settled in. He then turned the class loose to finish a group assignment they were working on. After making sure everyone was busy he came to check on me. "These guys are just finishing up a project. Not much for you to do today. I have some photography jobs that need someone but I'd like to see some of your work first. Do you have anything on you?" he asked. "Sure, here you go," I answered handing him a small binder of some of my favorite shots. That was the first time I'd actually shown anyone other than my family anything I'd done. I was really nervous. I didn't know if they were good or not. I've only had positive comments before but you know how biased family can be. He flipped through most of the pages pausing a few times to take a better look. "Your composition is good. There's plenty of variety in here, too. Landscapes, buildings, people, cars, and wildlife, both still and action, too, it shows you have range. I've had a lot of photographers that could take wonderful action shots but couldn't get a decent shot of someone standing still to save their souls. The exposure's off a little in some of them but nothing terrible. That'll get better with practice. Overall, I think you can handle most of what I need. You feeling up to it?" I was relieved to hear his positive remarks. It was like a validation of all the time I've spent behind the lens. "I'm definitely up for it," I answered. "Great, there are a few extra curricular activities we need to get some coverage on. Tom's in charge of the assignments, though. Hey, Tom come here for a minute," Mr. Cooper called to one of the groups near a light table. "What's up, Cap'n?" Tom asked. "Tom, this is Jules. He's going to be helping out with your photography projects. Here's some of his stuff," Mr. Cooper said handing him my album. Tom mimicked Mr. Cooper and flipped through it. "Hey, these aren't bad. It's a hell of a lot better than Kevin's last candid student body shots." "Be nice, Tom, Kevin is an excellent sports photographer. Well, he's good with basketball and football," Mr. Cooper admonished. "Yeah, you're right. So what are you wanting him to cover?" "Tom, you're the editor. It's your call." "Aye, Aye Cap'n," Tom joked with a salute, "I still don't have anything on the color guard or one act play. That sounds like a good place to start. We'll see what he can do with those." "Sounds good to me. I'll turn him over to you, then," Mr. Cooper said. "Tom will fill you in on what he's looking for and give you scheduling information," he told me and then left to do whatever it is teachers do when they aren't teaching. "OK, Jules, we're looking for a group shot of each and some candids. You've got a digital so we won't have to worry about developing. Shoot as much as you want between now and Friday. I'd like to take a look at what you have before we get to close to deadline. Any questions?" Tom asked me. "Yes, I've never heard of either of those. What are they? I can guess what one act play is but what is color guard?" I asked. "It's hard to explain and I don't understand it myself. It's the first year we're doing it here. They just hired the new instructor so you can ask her when you get there. Any other questions?" "How about when they meet and where? I'm new here so I really don't have any idea on the schedules," I returned. "Hmm... let me check," he said as he claimed a file off his desk. "Looks like the one act rehearses after school everyday in the theater arts building. That's the metal building around the back of the main building. It's not a portable. Just follow the covered walkway and you'll find it. The color guard meets twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I don't have a location for them. I think they move around a lot. I'll find out where they'll be meeting next and find you later. You can take care of one act if I don't find you today. Fair enough?" "Works for me. Here's my schedule for the rest of the day," I answered copying down my schedule for him. "Great, I look forward to seeing what you'll get." With everyone else working on group projects, I spent the rest of class by myself. That didn't particularly bother me. I'm used to it. I took some time to clean my camera and straighten up my camera bag. I can be a little disorganized. I still had a few minutes to kill so I snapped a few shots of my classmates at work. I may have mentioned it, but I really am a shutterbug. Mr. Cooper noticed what I was doing and gave me a knowing smile that only another shutterbug could give. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Algebra was pretty dull. Heather was right about Mrs. Danbury. I had a feeling I was going to learn more from my book than I was going to learn from her. There should be some law against teachers just assigning work out of a book. The last classes of the day were world history and English. I ended up taking about ten pages of notes in history. My hand was really starting to hurt towards the end. English was relatively painless. We only had a short reading assignment then spent the rest of class discussing it. The last bell rang and I hadn't heard from Tom. I dropped my books off in my locker and headed toward the theater arts building. I made it to the rear entrance at the same time as a beautiful girl with long black hair. I held the door open for her as she walked through. "Thanks, I'd forgotten that guys do that," she said. "Kids, these days," I joked shaking my head, "They just don't have good manners anymore." She laughed, "You must be new around here. None of the guys around here would have done that." "That's not good. It's not like it takes a lot of effort or anything." "You would think it does the way some guys act, I'm Tess Andrews, by the way." "Hello, Tess, I'm Julian, Julian McCloud. Most people call me Jules, though." "Hi, Jules, you done for the day?" Tess asked. "Actually, no, I'm headed for the theater arts building. I'm working on the school newspaper and I'd like to see if it's ok for me to get some pictures of one act play." "My aren't you mister manners. First you hold doors for us girls and then you're actually going to ask if it's OK for you to take pictures. Kevin never asks. He seems to think having that camera gives him the right to interrupt rehearsal and practices whenever he wants. Are you sure you're not an alien or something?" "Not last time I checked. My Mom and Dad just made sure to teach me to be respectful of others," I answered chuckling. "Do you know who's in charge of the play? I'm not really sure whom I should talk to, Tom didn't exactly give me a lot of information." "That would be Rebecca, she's the director. Come on, I'll introduce you to her." I followed Tess down the walkway and toward a medium-sized metal building. I thought it was a maintenance building at first. The only thing that proclaimed it wasn't was a small plaque next to the door that read "Theater Arts". I would have had a hard time finding it if I hadn't been with Tess. "Oh man, I should have a map or something. They certainly didn't make things easy to find around here," I commented. "I know. I was so confused when I first started going here, too. Don't worry, you'll get used to it," she assured me. "That or I'll just wander around with a blank lost look on my face." "I'll keep an eye out for you then," Tess laughed. She led me through the doors then toward the rear of the building. "Just a warning, Becca likes to act like a real serious bitch sometimes. She's really not like that once you get to know her. When we get to her just follow my lead and be your sweet self. We should be able to get through her front pretty easily." We came to another door, this time marked stage. Inside was a girl with flaming red hair berating some helpless freshman for not hitting their mark on time. Tess held her hand up signaling me to stop. She took another three steps toward the commotion then stopped herself. She patiently waited until calm was restored then stepped up to Miss Firestorm. "Are you finished terrorizing that poor little freshman yet?" Tess asked. "For now. He's a tough little nut; most of the others have run off already. If he makes it another week I might just respect him," the redhead grinned mischievously. "You can be a real bitch sometimes, ya know?" "Yep, I know. It's fun you should try it sometime." "Not me, I'm sweet, remember?" "Oh yeah, so sweet you melt in the rain. So, what can I do for you?" "Just an introduction." Tess motioned for me to come over. "Becca, this is Jules. Seems Mr. Cooper finally found someone to replace Kevin. He's not like the other guys, so be nice." Becca gave Tess a funny look. I got the feeling she was wondering what Tess meant. She shrugged her shoulders and looked at me. "So that jerk Kevin finally got replaced. It's about time." "Jules, would you like to ask Becca something?" Tess asked me. "Becca, would it be OK with you if I got a few shots for the yearbook and paper? I don't want to get in the way. I can come back later if you're busy," I asked as sweetly as I could. "Well aren't you just adorable. Tess, I think you just lost the title of Skyview's sweetest," Becca teased. "Well, if I have to lose it, I'm glad it's to someone who deserves it," Tess joined in. I was turning red with embarrassment. I could feel the heat building in my face. I tried to will myself to cool down but it was too late. The two girls noticed and burst into giggles. I was half a second away running out of the door when Becca managed to gain control of her self. "Sorry, Jules, I've never seen anyone turn that red that fast. I'm sorry if we embarrassed you." "That's OK, Becca, I'm just not used to that sort of thing," I replied. "Oh come on. I bet you got a lot of that at your old school," Tess commented. "Actually, I was a bit of an outcast. No one really noticed me." I wondered why I was telling them that. It seemed weird to be offering up something so personal so quickly. It's not like we were friends or anything but I felt some kind of connection with them. I couldn't quite tell what it was but it felt like we'd know each other much longer than we actually had. "That's terrible. It's their loss then," Becca responded. "Feel free to hang out as long as you want. I've got to get back to work and Tess needs to get to guard rehearsal." "Wait a minute. Did you say guard, as in, color guard?" I asked. "Let me guess, you've been assigned that, too," Tess guessed. "Yes, is that a bad thing?" "No, it's just that they always start off the new guys with one act and guard. It's like if they screw up it's only guard or it's only one act. No one cares about those," Becca growled. "Easy there, Becca. Don't kill Jules. He's just the messenger," Tess tried to calm her. "Yes, please don't kill me. This one act play and color guard stuff is new to me. I'd really like to find out what it is all about before I get killed." With that Becca seemed to soften a little. I could see she still wasn't happy but she wasn't going to be taking her anger out on me. "You're right, Tess. I shouldn't be angry with Jules. You better get going or you'll be late." "I know, but Mrs. V. will be cool as long as I tell her I was helping a new student. I need to get moving though." "Hey Tess, before you go, is it OK if I come to your next practice or rehearsal or whatever it is?" "We'd love to have you come and see us. I'm not sure when our next rehearsal is though." "OK, thanks. Maybe I can find you tomorrow and find out then?" "Why don't you just hang around here until rehearsals are finished. We usually end around the same time and you need to get pictures of one act anyway. The three of us can go and get something to eat and get to know each other better. You up for it Tess?" Becca asked. "Sounds good to me. How about you Jules?" Tess asked. "Let me call Mom and check to see if the moving truck has made it yet. If it hasn't I probably have a few hours to kill," I answered. I pulled out my recently acquired cell phone and dialed Mom's phone. "Hey there, Kiddo, I didn't expect you to use that thing so soon. Everything OK?" Mom asked. Moms always worry. "Everything is fine. I'm just working on some journalism stuff. Did the truck get there yet?" "Unfortunately, no. They called a little while ago and said it will be late tonight before they'll be here. Are you going to be long there? Since I have time, I'm going shopping. I can wait for you if you won't be too long." "Actually, that's kinda what I was calling about. I'll be here about an hour or so taking pictures of this play. Then I need to talk to someone else about a time for me to get some shots of the color guard here. I've been invited to go and get something to eat with them if that's OK?" "Making friends already? I'm proud of you. I can handle shopping on my own. You go ahead and have fun. I do want details when we get home though." I could almost feel her smiling through the phone. "OK, thanks Mom. I should be home around seven." "I probably won't. I wish I had gotten you a key made before now. I'll just leave mine in the flowerpot on the porch. Be careful it's supposed to rain here shortly." "OK Mom. I will. Love you," I said and hung up. "Looks like I'm free for the afternoon." "Great, I've got to go. See you guys in about an hour," Tess said then left to get to her rehearsal. I spent the next hour trying to get the shots I needed while staying out of everyone's way. Becca only yelled at me once and that was because I was standing on something they needed. I took about two dozen shots then sat down and watched the last ten minutes of rehearsal. Everyone was working really hard. I didn't realize that so much effort went into putting on a play. Becca would occasionally have to reprimand someone but overall it was impressive. About an hour later things were starting to wind down. "OK everyone. That was a great rehearsal. I really appreciate all the effort you guys have given. Let's get everything put away then we can all get out of here," Becca addressed her cast and crew. "Need any help?" I asked. "Sure, why don't you help me get all these loose wires and cords rolled up," she said pointing to a serpents nest of wires covering the floor. "Did you get everything you needed?" I reached down and started winding up a long orange extension cord, "I think I got most of what is needed. I'd like to get a group shot sometime if that's OK. I think it would be cool to get one with everyone in costume, too." "I can round everyone up for a group shot now if you want. You'll have to wait on the costumes though. We're still sorting those out." "That would be great, it should only take a few minutes." "No problem. Everyone, Jules here needs a group picture. It'll only take a minute if we all cooperate," she called to the others. They assembled quickly and I got my group shot. "Thanks, everyone. You guys have been really great to work with. I've got everything I needed." They responded with thank yous and your welcomes then finished getting the stage cleaned up. Within five minutes everyone was gone and it was just me and Becca. "Tess should be here soon unless her rehearsal runs long," she said. A phone started ringing just as she finished. It was Becca's. "Hi ya, Tess. All finished?" "Pretty much. We're just getting everything cleaned up. I should be there in a few minutes or so. Jules didn't get into trouble did he?" Tess asked. "No, he was great. He did an excellent job of staying out of the way. I almost forgot he was here." "I'm glad it worked out. Gotta go, Mrs. V. is calling," Tess said then hung up. Becca hit the end button and told me Tess was running a little late. "That's no problem. It gives me a chance to ask you about this one act play stuff," I assured her. "What would you like to know?" she asked. "Why are you doing it? I mean do you present it to the school or something?" "It's actually a competition. All the schools get together and get judged by how well each group does. The best move on to the next level. They do that all the way to the state level just like football or basketball. A lot of colleges attend those competitions looking for recruits. Sometimes they even give scholarships to the winners. It's really a big thing but most people have never even heard of it." "Wow, I didn't know. Now I see why you guys are working so hard. Hey, I have an idea. If you don't mind, I'd love to come to one of the competitions and get a better idea of what it's all about. Maybe I can even convince Mr. Cooper to let me write a story on it." "Sounds good to me. I suppose I could get you in as a crewmember. That is if you don't mind helping out." "As long as I don't have to do any heavy lifting," I joked. "No heavy lifting, huh? What, don't want to break a nail?" She returned. "Nope, I'm just lazy," I said and self-consciously looked at my nails. "Oh, I know, you can help Tess with costumes and make-up." "Tess is in one act, too? I thought she was in color guard." "She is but that's only two days a week, the rest of the time she's in here with me. There are not a lot of people who want to do this stuff so we're a little shorthanded. She wanted to help. She couldn't be an actress not being here everyday but she really wanted to be part of it. She's a really good friend that way so I made her costumer designer. She's really pretty good at it, too." "Wow, you girls are busy aren't you?" "It keeps us out of trouble. So what do you think?" "I can live with that. I am pretty much free after school anyway. I'd love to help out." Tess walked in just as we finished our little conversation. Becca gave her a rapid-fire rundown on our plan. The two of them went into hyper overdrive on the details. Why is it that girls talk so fast when they get together? Is that something that they learn or all girls just born with it? "Come on guys, I'm starved," Tess commented. "Where do you want to go?" asked Becca. "Any ideas, Jules?" "Sorry, I'm new around here. I don't know what's close," I answered. "How about Sub Hub, Tess?" "That's a good idea. I haven't had one in weeks," Tess replied. "You're driving, though." I followed the girls out to the parking lot. I wondered what kind of car Becca would drive. I thought she would be in a nice little fuel- efficient import. I was partly right. She did drive an import but it wasn't little nor fuel-efficient. I was led to a large black Range Rover. It wasn't a new model but it looked like it was just driven off the showroom floor. The exterior was spotless and polished to a mirror-like finish. I couldn't see so much as a rock chip anywhere on it. There were no signs of wear on the inside either. "How in the heck do you keep this thing in such great shape?" I asked Becca. "My grandfather bought it new in 1990. He pretty much was obsessive about maintenance and upkeep. He gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday in as good as shape as any new vehicle. His only condition was that I keep it as good as shape as possible. He even taught me how to change the oil and do some other routine care," she answered. "Wow, that's impressive. Both with him keeping it up that well and you being willing to learn all the routine maintenance." "Hey, that almost sounds like a chauvinist remark," she stated. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. Most of the girls I have known wouldn't even know what oil is much less how to change it. I really meant it as a compliment." "I know, I was just giving you a hard time," she said with that devilish grin of hers. I got a feeling I was going to be seeing a lot of it in the future. I really didn't think that was going to be a problem. We talked more about One Act and Colorguard on the way to the Sub Hub. I found out that this was the first year that the Colorguard had an instructor that actually knew what she was doing. Tess was excited about having her but said Mr. Crown, the band director, was making things more difficult than they necessarily should be. There was the usual money issue but he wanted control of everything from music and costumes to length and number of rehearsals. "Most of the other schools in our district practice four or five times a week. He only let's us have one day a week for flags and another for rifles and sabers. We all want to do more but he won't let us. He also won't let us do any fundraisers. I understand he wants to keep costs down but I don't think we're getting fair shot," Tess explained. "Maybe he's just trying to get things setup this year and will be a little more lenient next year," I said playing devil's advocate. "I guess but it makes us feel like we aren't important enough this year. Oh well, it's not like anyone ever paid attention to us before, either." Becca and I could tell that Tess was starting to get depressed so we changed the subject to One Act and we started discussing my role. We were debating on if I was going to have an active role or more of an honorary position. Becca was angling for an active member so she could get some work out of me while Tess was arguing for an honorary position so I could concentrate on writing a story good enough to get some notice. Talk about pressure! We arrived at The Sub Hub rather quickly and carried our conversation inside. Our debate was derailed for a little while as we tried to decide on our sandwiches. With about a hundred different choices, that turned out to be more difficult than you would think. Not only do you have a choice between chicken, beef, turkey, sausage, and just about anything else you could want on a sandwich but you also have to decide how you want it cooked. There is roasted, toasted, grilled, baked, stuffed, barbequed, and fried just to name a few. Geez, that place was almost as bad as those super trendy coffee houses. The three of us were quickly discussing the virtues of each type. We each decided on our sandwiches. I went with the roasted chicken on honey oat bread. Tess went with a veggie lovers and Becca went with baked chicken. The guy making the sandwiches looked a Becca and asked, "How in the heck do you girls keep up with each other? I was tempted to try and record that conversation and play it back in slow motion just so I could hear what you were saying." "I guess we've just gotten used to each other," she answered. Becca and Tess went to fill drinks and find a table while I was left to pay with the funds we had pooled together. My stomach was grumbling as I waited for the cashier to return our change. "Here you go, Miss. I hope you and your friends enjoy your meal," he said handing me a handful of coins. I thanked him and took three steps before my brain registered his comment. "Did he just call me Miss?" I thought to myself, "Maybe it's time to cut my hair." I made my way over to the girls and dispersed our sandwiches. I was still thinking about my hair when Tess made a comment about it. "You've got great hair, Jules, what made you decide to wear it long?" "I decided to let it grow after I saw Antonio Banderas in Desperado. I just thought he looked so cool with his long black hair. Granted, I can't kick ass like he did in the movie but I can at least attempt the hair bit. I wish someone would have told me how much effort it takes to make it look good," I answered. "Girls learn that pretty early on. We just get used to it and don't even notice how much effort goes into it. By the time we're in high school most of us have developed a routine that uses more products than we'd like to admit," commented Becca. "Tell me about it. When I was packing up for the move I realized I was using almost as many hair care products as my sister and mother. With my short hair, I pretty much was just a wash with whatever shampoo Mom had bought. Maybe I'd occasionally use conditioner. I think I actually used the same bottle of store brand conditioner for a whole year at one point. That pretty much covered my hair care. When I was done with my shower I'd towel dry then use a brush to try and tame it. Now that my hair is longer, my routine has changed a bit. I still start with just washing but now I have to use a daily moisturizing name brand shampoo. Then I added a daily conditioner but soon found out I still needed more help for my dry hair and switched to a daily moisturizing version. You would have thought that would have covered it. Nope, still way dry. Now I have a weekly deep fortifying treatment, as well. My shower time has doubled. I still towel dry but the scrubbing motion previously used has been banished along with my brush. Turns out that you shouldn't use a brush on wet hair. A wide-toothed comb has replaced my well-used brush. Notice I said wide toothed. Seems that a fine-toothed comb isn't much better than a brush. They were both trying really hard to keep from giggling. Tess was the first to break. Becca's resolve crumbled mere seconds later. I tried asking what was so funny but they were in the middle of a full on giggle fit. Anyone who has been around teenage girls for more than five minutes knows exactly what I'm talking about. There was no point in pushing for answers until it had past. After about two minutes, they had regained control of themselves and I was finally able to discover the source of their amusements. "Sorry Jules, we just never thought we'd hear a guy say those things. It just seemed so funny to be listening to those words coming from a male. You were so cute, too. You just kept going like you have that conversation everyday," Tess smiled. "What was so strange about that? Are guys not supposed to talk about their hair care?" I asked. "It's not they they're not allowed. They just don't normally discuss it," Becca tried to explain. "Think of it like this, when was the last time you heard a group of guys standing around a locker room discussing whether or not to use the regular shampoo or the extra moisturizing?" Tess offered. "I see your point. That is kind of funny. I guess I just never thought of it being weird," I agreed. "It's not weird. It's actually refreshing to meet a guy who doesn't have to be Mr. Macho Masculine all the time," Tess said. "You're not gay are you? I mean I've seen Queer Eye and they don't mind talking about hair," Becca asked, "Ever think about kissing a football player after winning the big game?" "Why did you do that? Why? Why? Why? Now I have the mental picture of some big dumb sweaty jock trying to kiss me. Yuck, I think I'm going to go erase my brain now," I answered jokingly. I did have the unfortunate mental image though. "No, Becca I'm not gay. I definitely prefer women." "I thought so but I had to ask. You may not be super masculine but you're not exactly feminine either. You're actually kind of in between," she replied. "I think I'll take that as a compliment." "It is. I promise. So what kind of girl do you like, then?" she asked. "Hmm... I'd have to say feisty redheads. They just drive me crazy," I answered with mock seriousness. Becca turned red then got a very worried look on her face. "Umm... Jules... I... uhh...," she stumbled. "Relax, Becca, I'm just kidding," I said and she visibly relaxed. "You're a snot!" she exclaimed. Tess let out a little laugh at her friends expense. "That wasn't funny, Tess!" "It was from here," Tess returned. Becca gave an exasperated sigh and said, "Oh you two, I give up." We talked for a while longer. I had just returned from my third refill when Tess spoke up, "Well party kids, it's about time to wrap things up here. I've got two tests that I need to study for. It's time for me to get home." "What time is it?" Becca asked. "A little before seven," I answered. "I guess I should be getting home, too. I've got a ton of homework to do." "Sounds good to me. I need to get those pics I took checked and printed," I added. We agreed to meet again after rehearsal the next day. Becca was going to drop Tess off at her car back at school. She asked if I wanted a ride home as well. I told her to just drop me with Tess. I had something I wanted to do and I'd walk home after that. We cleaned up our mess and returned to Becca's Rover. We spent the return trip talking about One Act play again. We finally decided that I would help out with the play as often as I could as long as could still write my story. I didn't want to remind them that I had to get permission from Tom and Mr. Cooper first. They were way too excited. Becca dropped us back at school next to a decent little silver Ford Ranger. Tess unlocked the door and dropped her stuff inside. "Are you sure you don't want a ride?" she asked. "Nah, walking helps me keep my girlish figure," I joked. "So that's your secret. I was wondering how you stayed so thin," she smiled, "maybe I should try the walking workout." "Like you need it. You look great, if you don't mind me saying." "No, I don't mind and thank you very much. I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow." I waved goodbye and started on my way home. It only took me a few minutes to get to the camera store. Unfortunately, they closed at six. I made plans to get there earlier the next day. I thought about the events of the day as I walked home. Somehow, a shy antisocial guy managed to make friends with not one but two beautiful girls. I had some fun conversations and generally enjoyed myself. That was something new for me. I made it home just as Mom was returning from her shopping trip. "Hi, Mom, have fun at the store?" I asked. "I always enjoy spending money. I may have gone a little overboard this time. I hope your Dad won't be too upset," she smiled. "He probably won't even notice. I thought you were going to be late?" "I was going to do some other shopping but I spent too much on this stuff." I looked in the back of her PT Cruiser and it was full. The back seat was full as well as the passenger front seat. "If that's a little, I'd hate to see way overboard. Did you leave anything at the store?" "I think there might be some cans of creamed spinach but that's about it." "Let me put my stuff inside and I'll help unload this stuff." "OK, you can tell me about your new friends while we get everything put away. I want details, too." It took me a good ten minutes to get everything out of the car. You'd be amazed at how much stuff can fit inside a PT cruiser. Mom had started getting things put away as I brought the last few bags in. I hadn't told her about Becca and Tess yet and I could tell she was dying with curiosity. I decided I'd help put everything away while I filled her in on my day. Almost an hour later I finished telling her everything I could remember. I even told her about the guy at Sub Hub calling me Miss. She looked at me for a few seconds then said something I didn't expect, "I could see where he might say that." "Mom!" I exclaimed. "Well, you do have the long hair and your face is very pretty for a guy." "Mom!" I repeated. "Well you do. I wouldn't expect you to be mistaken for a girl by yourself but if I saw you with a group of girls and you were talking really fast like you just were, I could definitely see how someone could make that mistake." "When was I talking fast?" "You always talk really fast when you get excited about something. How many times have I told you to slow down when you talk about some new piece of photography equipment? Remember the lighting set up your Dad bought you right after he accepted the new job? You were so excited and you were trying to tell me how it worked. I couldn't make out half of what you said." I thought about what she had said for a minute. A lot of memories of her telling me to slow down came spilling out, "Oh man, I just remember the sandwich guy asking how girls managed to talk that fast. I didn't think I was included at the time but I bet I was now." "Don't worry, you probably just learned to do that to keep up with your sister and me," she said trying to console me. "I guess," I replied not sounding convinced as we finished getting all the stuff Mom bought into place. The day had started to catch up with me, "I'm beat. I'm going to go get a shower then get some homework done before bed." I got my shower and just barely finished printing my photos before my vision started to get fuzzy. I decided to call it a day and get some sleep. I woke up the next morning with the early morning sun peeking through my window and the last wisps of dreamland clinging to my mind. Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real that you couldn't tell if you were awake or sleeping? I dreamed that I woke up a girl. I remember going into the bathroom, seeing my reflection and freaking out a little. I ran into the kitchen to my Mom. She had just finished pouring herself a cup of coffee. I was rambling on about something being wrong. I guess I was talking in hyper speed again because she asked me to calm down and go get dressed for school. "Mom, do you see anything different about me?" I asked. I couldn't believe that she didn't notice her son had changed into her daughter. "Well, your breasts might be a little bigger," she said looking a little confused. "Breasts! I'm not supposed to have any," I stated. "Julia, they were bound to start growing. Most girls your age would be happy right now. You need to go get ready for school, now hurry or you'll be late." My jaw hit the floor. My mother had just called me Julia. Julia's a girl's name. What in the hell was going on? I felt like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole. I didn't know what to do. Then I flashed over (why does that flash thing feel normal in a dream? You would think that would alert you to the fact that you're dreaming.) to me in my room getting dressed. I picked out a pair of boot cut low rise jeans, form fitting white button down blouse and a pair of brown ankle length boots with matching belt. After getting my clothes sorted out, I sat down at my vanity, which doesn't exist, and started doing my makeup. It was weird to watch as my hand applied everything without any direction from my brain. When I finished I looked like any other girl my age. I wasn't drop dead gorgeous or anything but I was attractive in a strange sort of way. The thing that struck me was that I wasn't freaking out about it. I should have been totally buggin' out. Part of my brain was screaming you're a guy, this isn't right, and the other half was saying hey, this is kind of nice. I got this weird warm comfortable feeling. It was that feeling that clouded my brain as I was dragging myself out of dreamland. My head finally cleared the last bit of fogginess out and I fully returned to reality. A vague feeling of strangeness was all that managed to remain. I dragged myself out of bed and started to get dressed. I did check myself over and didn't find anything that wasn't there the night before. A quick look into my still empty closet revealed no white shirt, low cut jeans or boots of any color. I wasn't sure whether I was happy or disappointed. Maybe it was a mixture of both. I looked out my window and was very happy to see the moving truck had made it in sometime the night before. I was down to my last change of clean clothes in my travel bag and wasn't looking forward to washing any clothes until the weekend. I pulled out what I had left and got dressed in my usual baggy jeans and t-shirt. A few minutes in front of the bathroom mirror to get my hair sorted, wash my face, and to brush my teeth got me ready to face the day. I decided to leave my hair down until I was ready to leave for school. I'd love to have it down all day but school dress code required me to wear it up. I don't understand why though. Girls can leave their hair down even though it's longer than mine. Don't ask me, I didn't write the rules. I made my way to the kitchen doing my best to stay out of the way of the guys bringing the furniture in. I almost managed to get to the kitchen without any problems. I did stay out of the way through the living room but I didn't check the kitchen before I walked through the doorway, right into the biggest guy on the moving crew, knocking myself on my butt. "You OK, Jules?" Mom asked. "Yeah, Mom, I'm fine," I answered her, "Sorry about that, sir, I wasn't watching where I was going." "That's OK, sweetheart, didn't hurt me none," he answered, "let me help you." He grabbed my hand and easily lifted me up to my feet then continued on to the living room. Mom was giggling to herself as I tried to straighten out my clothes and hair. "What's so funny?" I asked. "Oh nothing, dear, your sister just used to fuss with her clothes and hair like that," she replied. "Oh, damn," I said to no one in particular. "Watch your language, Jules." "Sorry, Mom, did the moving guy just call me sweetheart?" I asked even though I knew the answer. "Yes, I believe he did. Why?" she answered then realized what I was really asking. "Sorry, Kiddo, I guess he did think you were a girl." She looked a little worried at that, "he probably just saw the long hair and made an assumption." "Maybe. Oh well, not like it'll kill me if he did think I was a girl." "I like that attitude. What changed your mind?" she asked looking visibly more relaxed. "I'm not sure exactly. It just doesn't bother me anymore. Maybe it had something to do with that dream I had." She gave me a strange look that I couldn't read, "What was the dream about?" "I dreamt that I was a girl. I can't remember many details but I remember thinking that being mistaken for a girl was really no big deal. I guess the feeling just stuck. Besides, if it really bothered me, I could just cut my hair. I bet that would clear up any misidentification." "It's your hair, Kiddo, so do whatever you feel you need to," she said looking at me with that strange expression. It was somewhere between concern and recognition. I know that sounds strange but that's just the impression I got. "I'm not going to change anything, Mom, it would be silly to get rid of it just because a few people thought I was a girl. I like it too much to do that." "Oh good, I was hoping you weren't going to do anything drastic without thinking about it first. I know you like having long hair and think you'd be really upset at yourself if you cut it off. I cut my hair short one time and regretted it immediately afterward. I'm glad I did it though, at least that way, I knew I didn't like it short. You always need to try new things, Jules. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't, but you won't find out until you do it." "You've got the motherly advice thing down, Mom. I think I will try and do new things more. I'm getting a little tired of being boring," I grinned at her. "Well don't go and get crazy or anything. Just try a little bit at a time." "I will, I promise. I'll be home after school to help get things sorted out." "OK, Kiddo, I'll just have them put your stuff in your room and you can deal with it later." "Sounds, good. I'll see you later," I told her as I left for school. * I decided to stop by the camera store on the way to school and try and get an application. I didn't think it would be open that early but ya never know. It turns out that it wasn't open but it did have a really nice window display. They even had a few of the high end digital SLR's displayed. I was standing there trying my best not to drool on my shoes when a man walked up and unlocked the door. "Can I help you with something, Miss?" he asked. What is it with people around here? How do you correct a person when they say that, anyway? I figured I'd just let it slide and hopefully he'd realize his mistake without me having to point it out. "Yes, actually, I saw the help wanted sign and was wondering if I might be able to get an application?" "No problem, just give me a second to get this place opened up. You can come and take a look around if you'd like." "I'd like that, thanks," I said as I followed him inside. We've all seen the inside of most camera stores or the camera section at department and electronics stores. They are usually pretty boring. You might have a one or two-dozen cameras on display with maybe a paragraph's worth of information on them. The digitals are probably mixed in with the film cameras with no type of separation between them. Is that Fuji you just picked up digital or film? I don't see any place to put film and it has a big LCD on it but it's in between two other film cameras. See where that starts to get confusing? You might also have a wall of film roughly organized into brand and speed. Now, if you're really lucky, they might have one person that actually knows something about photography. The problem is that he's normally busy trying to explain to someone why their ten dollar disposable camera doesn't take pictures like a $1200 professional level SLR while you're stuck with the three people who are just there for a paycheck. Try asking them a question about film speed or focal length and their eyes glaze over and act like you just asked them to explain Einstein's theory of relativity. Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now. Where was I? Oh yeah, the store. Two words for ya, photographer's paradise. The place was huge; easily twice as big as any I've ever been in. There were cameras everywhere you looked. Everything was neatly organized with separate sections for digital and film. They even had an accessory department. The photography tips spread throughout the store was a nice touch, too. Needless to say, I loved what I saw. Even if I didn't get the job, I knew I was going to spend a lot of time in there. The lights were flipped on and I got a better look at what was available. There were at least a dozen drool-worthy cameras within a few feet of the entrance. Just for kicks, I picked up one of digitals and to my utter amazement; it actually powered up and had a memory card in it. Very nice. I wandered into the accessory department and was just as impressed. The normal tripods, carrying cases, and batteries were there but they also had a very large selection of lenses, filters and adapters for various brands and models. They even had the wide-angle lens for my camera that I had been seriously thinking about adding to my collection. Not a bad price, either. "See anything you like?" the man asked. "Yes, Sir, Mr.?" I replied. "Grissom, but please call me Bill." "This place is unbelievable, Bill. I think I've died and gone to Heaven," I joked. Bill laughed, "Good, that's exactly the reaction we hope for. I take it you're into photography then. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." "It's Jules and my interest in photography is bordering on an obsession." "Excellent, just the type of person we're looking for. How would you get an outdoor shot with the background out of focus while keeping your foreground subject sharp?" Bill asked. "I'd use a wide aperture and a fast shutter speed." "Good, now your shooting portraits under a large tree and your subjects face is a little shaded, how do you fix that?" "Put a reflector or even a piece of white poster board on the ground in front of them. That should provide enough light to get rid of any shadows." "OK, nice answer. So far you know more than the last five applicants. Why don't you go ahead and fill out an application and let me talk to the owner. If he says yes and you're willing to work for eight bucks an hour to start with, I'd love to have you join our team," Bill smiled. "Wow, just like that?" "Unless you have a problem. I really need some help in here on the weekends and a few days during the week. I've been without help for almost two months now. That's the main reason we've been closing so early. It wears me out if I try and stay up here longer than that. I'm ready to have an extra hand around here and you seem to be knowledgeable and friendly enough. It's not set in stone, the owner has final say but he usually accepts the people I'd like to hire." "Sounds good to me. I think I may end up spending most of what I make in here, though," I commented. Bill laughed at that, "So do I." I filled out my application and talked to Bill a while longer. He was pretty cool and laid back. I could definitely deal with him as my boss. Before I knew it, it was time to get to school. I thanked Bill for his time and headed to class. I started to wonder if maybe I hadn't bitten off more than I could chew. Between school, working on the newspaper, the play, and now a job, I was spreading myself a little thin, but I was sure I could handle it. * My school day went by like they usually do. I pretty much used a forest's worth of trees taking notes. There was a test in Biology but since it was my first day in class I didn't have to take it. I did get a chance to see it, though. I probably could have done pretty well since it was basically the same stuff I had been going over in my old school. I am not one to do more work than I have to, so I kept that little bit of information to myself. I got a chance to talk to Tom and Mr. Cooper about my story idea and drop off the shots from the previous day. They both agreed to let me write the story and if it were interesting enough, they'd run it as an editorial. Tom seemed pretty happy with my pictures. "These will do nicely Jules. How in the Hell did you get Becca to let you take them?" Tom asked. "My little secret," I grinned, "I'd hate to give away my edge." "Photographers," he exclaimed in mock disgust. "I still haven't nailed down the Colorguard schedule yet. Tess is supposed to be getting back to me on that." "Don't worry, I've got that covered. I'm supposed to meet her this afternoon and hash out a time for me to get your shots." "Did I say you were good? I might have to keep you around if you keep this up," Tom smiled. "I live but to serve you my liege," I said with an overly dramatic bow, "I gotta get to class, I'll see you tomorrow." The rest of the day went like the first half and I managed to escape without any homework. Thank God for small miracles. I had just dropped my books in my locker when I noticed some older kids watching me. I assumed they were just looking to see who the new kid was but as I passed them I heard one of them say, "I hate it when girls dress like that, you can't see how nice their bodies are under all that baggy stuff." 'Umm, Houston, we have a problem,' I thought to myself. I turned to correct them, when I heard Tess calling my name. "There you are, Jules, I've been looking all over for you. Becca wanted me to make sure you found your way back to rehearsal today," she said. "You've committed yourself now and she won't let you get out of it easily." "I was on my way there right now," I told her completely forgetting about the guys staring at me. "I figured you were. Mind if I walk with you?" "Not at all. How was your day?" I asked as we headed for the theater arts building. "Brutal, a test, two pop quizzes, and a writer's cramp inducing amount of note taking," Tess answered, "How about yours?" "Not bad. I think I may have gotten the job at The Focal Point," I responded. "Cool, that means you get to buy dinner next," she grinned, "you still need pictures of guard?" "Yes, I was hoping to get some at your next rehearsal." "We're gonna meet tomorrow. Can you make it then?" "Sure, that shouldn't be a problem. I look forward to seeing what that's all about." Tess and I talked as we made our way to One Act. I found out that she had a boyfriend and Becca was currently single after chasing her last guy off. Tess' guy was named Scott and he was on the school's football team, linebacker of course. I made a mental note not to upset Tess. I'd been down that road before and didn't want another trip. I had been friends with a girl who decided that I was more interesting than her then current linebacker boyfriend. She tried to kiss me one night and when I politely told her that I wasn't interested in her, she freaked out and told him that I had tried to kiss her. Needless to say he wasn't happy. I ended up with a black eye and multiple bruises. Did I mention that I'm not exactly a big guy? Standing just over five and a half feet and weighing barely more than most of the girls my height is not an advantage in a fight. I was doing an admirable job avoiding him until I was tripped by one of his friends. The beating commenced at that point and I'm sure it would have been much worse if my few friends, all girls by the way, didn't convince him to stop. I'm not sure if your school was like mine but being rescued by a girl or group of girls doesn't exactly help one's reputation. Hence, my outcast status. Becca was already hard at work when Tess and I arrived. I had to give it to her; she definitely put in her fair share of effort. The rehearsal was pretty much a repeat of the previous day from what I could hear. I spent most of the time helping Tess get the costumes ready. By the end of rehearsal, Tess and I had managed to get all but one costume finished. Becca came back to see how we were doing after everyone had left. "How are we doing back here kiddies?" She asked. "Just about finished, Bec. We just have this last one to finish off and we're done," Tess answered as we tried to get the dress we were working on over Marilyn, the fitting dummy. I'm not sure exactly what happened but one second we're struggling with this dress then the next both Tess and I are sitting on the floor holding separate halves of Marilyn. I had from the waist down and Tess had the dress and Marilyn's top half. "I guess I won't be finishing up with this one just yet. I think I'm going to need a replacement for our girl Marilyn," Tess told Becca. Becca didn't seem too pleased; "Tess is there any way you can finish with it tonight? We really need to get in a few dress rehearsals before our first competition." "All I need is something to put this on while I make a few alterations." "Could you just put it on yourself? I want to get a look at it on someone." "I can't wear it and make the alterations at the same time. Hey, how about you Jules?" "I don't know how to make the alterations," I answered. "No, not make the alterations, I meant put this on so I can fix it and Becca can get a look at it." I thought about it for a few seconds, it was just a dress and I was sure it would win me a few more points with the girls. No one was going to see me and after my dream I had to admit I was just a little curious, "Sure why not, but this doesn't leave this room got it?" "Got it and thanks, you're a life saver," Becca responded. It took a few minutes for me to get changed. Putting on a formal lo